“A great deal of the chaos in the world occurs because people don’t appreciate themselves.” ~ Chogyam Trungpa

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

“To worship our false selves is to worship nothing. And the worship of nothing is hell.” ~ Thomas Merton

“Till the false is seen as false, truth is not.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Realization is to get rid of the delusion that you have not realized.” ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

“It is precisely because our present life is so inseparably linked with desire that we must make use of desire’s tremendous energy if we wish to transform our life into something transcendental.” ~ Lama Yeshe

“Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth. Real devotion is rooted in an awed and reverent gratitude, but one that is lucid, grounded, and intelligent.” ~ Sogyal Rinpoche

“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth” ~ Pema Chodron

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” ~ T.S. Eliot

“God’s first language is Silence. Everything else is a translation.” ~ Thomas Keating

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” ~ Aldous Huxley

“If it isn’t good, let it die. If it doesn’t die, make it good.” ~ Achaan Chah

“Have a mind that is open to everything, and attached to nothing.” ~ Tilopa

“The primordial fire of reality is going to burn through the hull of our little ego spaceship, and scatter us like stars.” ~ Reggie Ray

“Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary.” ~ Mark Twain

“I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body.” ~ Saraha

“Being completely and totally present and at every single point of space and time, It is fully and completely present here and now, thus we can no more attain immanent Spirit then we could, say, attain our feet.” ~ Ken Wilber

“The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.” ~ Meister Eckhart

“Omnipotence is not knowing how everything is done; it’s just doing it.” ~ Alan Watts

Which is your favorite? Is there one you really like that is not included above? If so, what is it?

Elephant 365 is an example of Elephant Journal’s commitment to the Mindful Life. Everyday we will offer a new reading regarding meditation practice and the spiritual path, all infused with a fresh perspective on traditional spirituality. If you would like to follow Elephant 365 on FaceBook click here and become a fan of Elephant Meditation by clicking the “Like” tab at the top of the page.

#9 – Sort of like Dorothy tapping her ruby slippers. We are so busy looking everywhere else for our rainbows, we don't start where we are. Eventually that's where we end up, knowing ourselves, finding the divine was always there.

Hi Ben , This is Dara from when "Gratitude is BS" and I opened this post expecting to find a list of mindful cliches and instead found 20 quotes that walk firmly on the earth. So refreshing. I love the truth. #6, 14, 16 & 17 are my favorites.

They keep lighting up, alternately,__ something like winking stars. Probably the one that keeps popping up on my refrigerator over the years is the 3rd Karmapa's: In the moment of love, the empty essence dawns nakedly. (I've seen it written in slightly different ways.)

The quotes are all fantastic! I'd like to contribute another:
"The meditation experience is interesting because on one hand it is about completely letting go of everything, and on the other hand, it is about paying more attention. It's a paradox. Let go of everything and have the courage and faith and conviction to keep letting go, fearlessly, no matter what arises. But don't let go of consciousness, don't let go of attention, don't let go of awareness. Meditation is the paradox between those two positions." -Andrew Cohen